Students can no longer take sociology to fulfill their core course requirements, Florida’s state university system ruled Wednesday. Instead, its board of governors approved “an objective history course” as a replacement.
The decision by the 17-member board of governors came after fierce opposition from sociology professors in the university system, which includes the University of Florida and Florida State University.
And it’s the latest move by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to challenge the education establishment and what the governor described as its liberal orthodoxy. DeSantis, a Republican, had tried to leverage his educational record in his failed presidential campaign.
In a brief announcement Wednesday, Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said he was proud of the board’s decision and looked forward to the history class and “the positive impact the addition of this course will have on our students and their future success.”
The replacement history class includes “the founding of the United States, the horrors of slavery, the resulting Civil War, and the Reconstruction era.”
Florida has one of the largest public university systems in the country, with more than 430,000 students.
The move alarmed sociology professors, who believed it could lead to fewer students taking classes and specializing in the subject. The American Sociological Association said in a statement Wednesday that it was outraged by the decision and that it was made without any “evidential basis.”
“The decision appears not to come from an informed perspective, but rather from a serious misunderstanding of sociology as an illegitimate discipline driven by a ‘radical’ and ‘woke’ ideology,” the statement said. “In contrast, sociology is the scientific study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior, which are at the core of civil literacy and are essential for a wide range of careers.”
In December, Florida Education Commissioner Manny Díaz Jr. wrote on social media that “sociology has been hijacked by left-wing activists and no longer serves its purpose as a general knowledge course for students.”
He added that under Governor DeSantis, “Florida’s higher education system will focus on preparing students for high-demand, high-paying jobs, not on woke ideology.”
Some teachers have supported the measure.
Jukka Savolainen, a sociology professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, said in a opinion essay in The Wall Street Journal in December that the discipline was in trouble and had become “blatantly political.” He called for including more contrary points of view in the teaching of sociology.
“I have taught college sociology courses since 1996,” he wrote. “Over the decades, I have seen my discipline transform from a scientific study of social reality to an academic defense of left-wing causes.”
In November, the board of governors approved remove Principles of Sociology from a list of courses that students can take to satisfy their general education requirements. Wednesday’s approval finalized that decision after a public comment period.
The course covers topics such as race, gender and sexual orientation, which conservatives in Florida and other states have attacked and tried to restrict.
In 2022, DeSantis signed legislation restricting how racism and other aspects of history can be taught in schools and workplaces. The bill’s sponsors called it the Stop WOKE Act. Among other things, it prohibits instruction that could make students feel responsible or guilty for the past actions of other members of their race.
“The governor-appointed administrative bodies that oversee Florida’s higher education institutions have found a new target in the culture wars they are waging on the state’s campuses,” wrote Anne Barrett, a professor of sociology at Florida State University, in an article. opinion essay posted Wednesday on the National Education Association website.
He wrote that eliminating the course would be “devastating for sociology in Florida” and added that “enrollment will plummet.” The opportunity to hire professionals will almost disappear. “Weakened sociology departments are ripe for elimination and, ultimately, layoffs.”
